Reclining chair

ABSTRACT

A reclining chair adapted to be positioned in close adjacency to a room wall when in the upright sitting position and yet so structured as to allow ready assumption of any of a variety of reclined positions of occupancy without physical contact of any element thereof with the same room wall, the chair concept envisioning a fixed platform, a chassis slideable rectilinearly relative to the platform, and a body-supporting unit movable between the sitting and reclining positions relative to the chassis with a concomitant movement of a leg supporting unit between the retracted and extended positions respectively, a propeller link or other means connecting between the bodysupporting unit and platform for propelling the body-supporting unit relative to the platform, with the chassis moving forwardly and progressively away from the wall as transition is made from upright sitting position to progressive positions of reclination, wherefore the body supporting unit is concomitantly moved forwardly away from the room wall, and with the chassis moving rearwardly and progressively toward the wall as transition is made from positions of reclination to upright sitting position, wherefore the body-supporting unit is concomitantly moved rearwardly and toward the room wall.

United States Patent 1191 1 *Apr. 1, 1975 1 RECLINING CHAIR [75]Inventor: Frank Manuel R, Holyoke, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Dual Manufacturing and Engineering Incorporated, Holyoke,Mass.

21 Appl. No: 307,176

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Set. No. 222,563, Feb. 1,1972, Pat. No.

[52] US. Cl. 297/88, 297/318 [51] Int. Cl. A47c 1/02 [58] Field ofSearch 297/85, 84, 86, 89, 68, 297/317, 318, 322, 342, 216, 323; 5/47;296/65 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,911,127 5/1933Wasscrburg 297/216 2,102,979 12/1937 Smith 297/318 X 2,126,098 8/1938Ducrot 297/318 2,492,106 12/1949 Orton 297/318 2,547,446 4/1951 Dean297/322 2,603,273 7/1952 Gambrill 297/317 X 2,694,814 11/1954 Doner 5/472,725,921 12/1955 Markin 297/216 2,789,291 4/1957 Nock 5/47 2,815,79412/1957 Hendrickson et a1 297/342 2,925,122 2/1960 Winick 297/3183,057,658 10/1962 Winick 297/317 X 3,343,871 9/1967 Yates et al. 297/3233,433,527 3/1969 Re 297/85 3,567,280 3/1972 Bradshaw 297/38 3,572,8293/1971 Malitte 297/317 3,645,548 2/1972 Briner 297/216 3,743,349 7/1973Crum 297/317 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 723,876 I/l932 France726,797 3/1972 France Primary E.\'aminer,lames T. McCall Attorney,Agent, or Firm-Ross, Ross & Flavin [57] ABSTRACT A reclining chairadapted to be positioned in close adjacency to a room wall when in theupright sitting position and yet so structured as to allow readyassumption of any of a variety of reclined positions of occupancywithout physical contact of any element thereof with the same room wall,the chair concept envisioninga fixed platform, a chassis slideablerectilinearly relative to the platform, and a body-supporting unitmovable between the sitting and reclining positions relative, to thechassis with a concomitant movement of a leg supporting unit between theretracted and extendedpositions respectively, a propeller link or othermeans connecting between the body-supporting unit andplatform forpropelling the body-supporting unit relative to the platform, with thechassis moving forwardly and progressively away from the Wall astransition is made from upright sitting position to progres sivepositions of reclination, wherefore the body supporting unit isconcomitantly moved forwardly away from the room wall, and with thechassis moving rearwardly and progressively toward the wall astransition is made from positions of reclination to upright sittingposition, wherefore the body-supporting unit is concomitantly movedrearwardly and toward the room wall.

5 Claims, 19 Drawing Figures PMENTEM 1 ms SHEET OIUF 11 FIG.2.

FIG.3.

PATENTEUAPR H975 3, 74,724

SHEET 020F 11 MENTED 1 ms SHEET OBUF 11 PATENTEU 1 75 SHEET nu 0F 11 wdEmm 09 v: N9 3- m9 PATENTED APR SHEET UBUF 11 FIG.8.

FIG. 9.

PATENTED APR 1 W5 SHEET 07 HF 11 FIG. l2.

m G F PATENTEU APR 1 9 5 SHEET CBOF 11 FIG. l4.

PUENTED 1 I975 SHEET 10 0F 11 PATENTED APR 1 SHEET llflF 11 RECLININGCHAIR This is a division, of application Ser. No. 222,563, filed Feb. l,1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,151.

The invention provides a reclining chair which can be positioned inclose proximity to a wall or lamp or other article of furniture.

It has long been a problem in the reclining chair art that the chair ofnecessity had to be placed a sufficient distance away from the wall orarticle of furniture as to allow movement of part of the body-supportingunit in the area rearwardly of the vertical plane of the rear legs ofthe chair, the unit, and more particularly the back thereof, movingrearwardly in the course of any shifting between upright and anyreclined positions.

The problem is here solved by the provision of means for moving thebody-supporting unit forwardly relative to the platform and away fromthe wall as reclination ensues wherefore the chair can be positioned inclose proximity to a wall.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 3 are schematic representations of a chair embodying one form ofthe invention showing the positions of the several chair componentsrelative to a wall as the chair is moved from an upright sittingposition first to a partially-reclined position and then to a fullyreclined position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, in longitudinal section, of the chair ofFIGS. 1 3 in upright, sitting position;

FIG. 5 is a view, similar to FIG. 4, showing the chair in intermediatereclined or TV position;

FIG. 6 is a view, similar to FIG. 4, showing the chair in fully-reclinedposition;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in cross-section on line 7-7 of FIG. 4;

FIGS. 8 10 are fragmentary views, in longitudinal section, of a chairembodying a first modified form of the invention, with the leg rest andreclining .mechanism omitted for simplicity, the chair being shown inupright, intermediate reclined, and fully-reclined positionsrespectively;

FIGS. 11 13 are fragmentary views, similar to FIGS. 8 10, of a chairembodying a second modified form of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view, in longitudinal section, of a chairembodying a third modified form of the invention, the chair being shownin upright, sitting position;

FIG. 15 is a view, similar to FIG. 14, showing the chair in intermediatereclined or TV position;

FIG. 16 is a view, similar to FIG. 14, showing the chair infully-reclined position;

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary view, in longitudinal section, of a portion ofthe chair of FIG. 14, with parts omitted for simplicity;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, in end elevation, of theportion of the chair of FIG. 17; and

FIG. 19 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, in top plan, of the portion ofthe chair of FIG. 17.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 3, chairs of the type envisioned having aplatform B and a chassis C mounting a body-supporting unit D (i.e., seatand back which may be unitary as to each other or shiftable with respectto each other) and a leg supporting unit L, are shiftable between anupright sitting position where little, if any, of the body supportingunit is disposed in an area rearwardly of the vertical plane of therearwardly disposed legs or of the rearwardmost portion of the platform,and various positions of reclination where some portion of the bodysupporting unit is disposed in that area. This being so, chairsheretofore known have had to be positioned distantly of a room wall W ifreclination was to be accomplished successfully and without physicalcontact being had between chair and wall.

If positioning close to a wall was desired, the chair would have to bewithdrawn away therefrom in order to allow successful reclination.

With the chair hereof, as body-supporting unit D is reclined, chassis Cmoves linearly relative to platform B away from wall W to provide thenecessary clearance for the body-supporting unit as the chair elementsmove between the upright position of FIG. 1 and the partially reclinedposition of FIG. 2 and/or the fullyreclined position of FIG. 3.

In the form of the invention seen in FIGS. 4 7, platform B comprisespairs of front and rear legs 10 and 12 respectively disposed at eachside of the chair and interconnected by side rails 14 extending in afront-torear chair direction and by transversely-extending crossrails 16interconnecting the side rails in known manner.

A vertically oriented slotted plate 18 is fixed to each side rail 14 asby screws or bolts 20, extends upwardly therefrom, and is provided witha pair of spaced, generally horizontally extending, aligned, front andrear slots 22 and 24 respectively. The forwardly facing extremity ofeach slot serves as a small rise, indicated by 23 and 25 respectively,for purposes to appear.

Chassis C includes a pair of spaced, upright side walls 26 of anyconventional configuration and disposed at each side of the chair, eachside wall carrying a chair arm 28.

Bodysupporting unit D includes a seat 30 and a back 32, which may beunitary, as shown in FIGS. 1 7, or which may be separable, as will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 14 I9.

The means interconnecting platform B, chassis C, body-supporting unit Dand leg-supporting unit L includes a pair of linkage mechanisms, therebeing one at each side of the body-supporting unit inwardly of therespective adjacent side wall of the chassis so as to be concealed fromview. Only one such linkage mechanism is herein defined, they beingidentical for all practical purposes, one being a right hand and onebeing a left hand mechanism. Such mechanism could be of the typesasdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,827 ofJuly 17,

1962, No. 3,058,774 of Oct. 16, 1962, or No. 3,166,352 of Jan. 19, 1965,to name but a few, or their kinematic equivalents, for purposes ofexemplification.

A generally horizontally disposed base plate 34, extending along thefront-to-rear chair axis, is stationarily fixed as by bolts 36 and nuts38 to a cross rail or stretcher 40 extending transversely relative toand between chassis side walls 26, and is fixed at its opposite ends toa plate 42 mounted on each side wall as by screws or bolts 44.

Leg supporting unit L may be of the one-part type or of the two-parttype, as shown herein. The two-part typeis constituted by a large footstool 46 and a small foot stool 48 pivotally interconnected. The legsupporting unit, whichever its type, is mounted, by means of saidlinkage mechanisms, relative to the forward area of seat 30, forconstrained movements between a fully retracted position, as viewed inFIGS. 1, 4 and 7, and a fully extended position, as viewed in FIGS. 3,and 6.

With the chair in fully upright position, the leg supporting unit is infully retracted position with large footstool 46 positionedsubstantially flush with or in the vertical plane of the forward end ofseat 30 and with the cooperant pivotally connected small footstool 48extending rearwardly from adjacent the lower extremity of the largefootstool so as to be concealed from view below the seat and rearwardlyof the large footstool. When large footstool 46 is elevated and advancedto an extended position, cooperant small footstool 48 is moved therewithaccordingly and is in an axially aligned position forwardly thereof.

The body-supporting unit and the leg supporting unit are operativelyconnected to base plate 34 and to each other.

A seat plate 50 extends along the front-to-rear chair axis and isstationarily secured to the adjacent side rail of seat 30 as by screwsor bolts 52.

A pivot link 54 is pivoted at 56 at its lower end to the rearward end ofbase plate 34 and at its upper end at 58 to seat plate 50 adjacent therearward end of the latter.

A rise bar 60 is pivoted adjacent its rearward end at 62 to theapproximate midsection of base plate 34, and is pivoted adjacent itsforward end at 64, (see FIG. 6), to an L-link 66.

L-link 66 is pivoted at 68 at its upper end to seat plate 50 and ispivoted at its lower end at 70 to one end of a slotted link 72 and tothe rearward end ofa first long link 74.

Slotted link 72 is pivoted at 76 at its opposite end to the forward endof base plate 34 and has a slot 78 therein adjacent its forward end inwhich pivot 70 is slidable. 1

First long link 74 is pivoted at its approximate midsection at 80 to theapproximate midsection of a first elevator link 82 and is pivoted at itsforward end at 84 to the rearward end of a second elevator link 86.

.First elevator link 82 is pivoted at its upper end at 88 to seat plate50 adjacent the forward end thereof and is pivoted at its lower end at90 to the lower rearward end of a second long link 92.

Second elevator link 86 is pivoted at its approximate midsection at 94to the approximate midsection of second long link 92 and is pivoted atits lower end at 96 to the lower rearward end ofa small foot stool link98.

Second long link 92 is pivoted at its forward end at.

100 to one end of a large foot stool support plate 102 to which largefoot stool 46 is fixed; large footstool support plate 102 is pivoted atits opposite end at 104 to a small footstool support plate 106 to whichsmall footstool 48 is fixed.

Small footstool link 98 is pivoted at its forward end at 108 to smallfootstool support plate 106 and is pivoted at 110 rearwardly of itsforward end to the lower end of a connecting link 112 which is pivotedat its opposite end at 114 to large footstool support plate 102.

A buffer-retainer tension spring 116 is mounted at one end on slottedlink 72 and is mounted at its opposite end on first long link 74, thespring acting much in the manner of a buffing device to buffer chairtilting as it approaches fully reclined position and additionally toinsure that the leg-supporting unit remains retracted when the chair isin upright position. a

The functions of slotted link 72 are three-fold: (I) it serves as acarrier for the buffer-retainer spring 116; (2) it precludes recliningof the chair without a concomitant extension of the leg-supporting unit;and (3) it precludes retraction of the leg-supporting unit while thechair is in fully reclined position.

A stop pin 118 on seat plate 50, when contacted by a leading edge ofL-link 66, limits the range of outward movement of the leg-supportingunit.

A first stop surface 120 of rise bar 60, when it contacts base plate 34,limits the range of downward movement of the body-supporting unit.

In the chair upright position, second long link 92 abuts first long link74 to limit the range of rearward movement of the leg-supporting unit,with a flat 93 on the rearwardly facing face of link 92 being receivablein a notch on the forwardly facing face of link 74.

In use, when the chair is moved from upright position to an intermediatereclining position, rise bar 60 remains in a generally horizontalposition, with first stop surface thereof in contact with base plate 34,and with the large and small foot stools extended, the ease of suchextension being controlled by spring 116, while L-link 66 contacts stoppin 118 to preclude further legsupporting unit extension.

When the chair is moved from intermediate reclined position, to a fullyreclined position, rise bar 60 pivots at 62 relatively to base plate 34,pivot pin 70 moves forwardly in slot 78 of slotted link 72 to precludeclosing of the leg-supporting unit while in the fully reclined position,and a second stop surface 122 of rise bar 60 contacts base plate 34 tolimit the range of reclining movement of the body-supporting unit.

Chassis C is slidably related to base B by means of front and rearrollers and 132 respectively which extend outwardly from plate 42 ateach side wall 26 of the chassis, front roller 130 being rideable infront slot 22 of plate 18 and rear roller 132 being rideable in rearslot 24 therein.

The rides 23 and 25, together with spring 116 control or lessen anyfalling sensation as reclining takes place, it being understood that thegreater the upward slope of each rise, the more difficult forwardmovement of the chassis becomes.

In the chair upright position of FIG. 4, the rollers are disposed at therear ends of their respective slots 22 and 24.

As the body-supporting unit is moved to the intermediate recliningposition of FIG. 5, the rollers slide along the slots to a positionwherein they are disposed som ewhat forwardly of the approximatemidsections of the slots.

Movement of the body-supporting unit to fully reclined position movesthe rollers to the forward extremities of the slots as shown in FIG. 6,with the rises 23 and 25 and spring 116 controlling such movement asaforesaid.

A propeller link 134, pivoted at its upper end at 136 to backrest 32 andat its lower end at 138 to plate 18, propels and controls the range ofmovement of the body-supporting unit relative to the platform.

The key to the invention is in propeller link 134 for it propels thebody-supporting unit and chassis forwardly as reclination occurs, aswell as rearwardly on assuming the upright position, with the rollers130 and 132 riding in the slots 22 and 24 respectively.

In the chair upright position roller 132 rests in a slight recess orgroove 24' provided adjacent the rearward end of slot 24, the grooveserving as an impediment to unwanted sudden sliding movement of theroller relative to the slot.

In effect, in movement from upright to intermediate position, the rearroller must be lifted out of groove 24 with the chassis rotating aboutfront roller 130 as reclination occurs.

The single propeller link 134 of FIGS. 1 7 is 'replaced in the modifiedform of FIGS. 8 10 by a trio of links.

The leg-supporting unit and reclining linkage have been omitted in FIGS.8 10 for purposes of simplicity.

Herein, a primary propeller link 234 is pivoted at its upper end at 236to one end of a secondary propeller link 240 and at its lower end at 238to plate 18, with secondary propeller link 240 being pivoted at itsopposite end at 242 to the rearward end of base plate 34.

A control link 244 is pivoted at one end at 246 to backrest 32 and atits opposite end at 248 to the approximate midsection of primarypropeller link 234.

The trio of links operates directly on the chassis through theconnection 242 with base plate 34, while operating on thebody-supporting unit through control link 244, wherefore rectilinearmovements of the chassis and body-supporting units relative to theplatform are effected.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 11 13, the legsupporting unit and reclininglinkage have once again been omitted for simplicity.

In this form of the invention, the propelling means comprises a roller334 fixed .to backrest 32 and rideable in a cam slot 336 provided in anextension 338 of plate 18.

As reclination occurs, the captured roller drives the chassis andbody-supporting unit forwardly. On assuming the upright position thechassis and bodysupporting unit is driven rearwardly.

The somewhat dog-leg shape of slot 336 provides a dwell for theintermediate reclining or TV position as shown in FIG. 12.

The embodiment of FIGS. 14 19 has been modified for use with a chair ofthe type having a separable seat and back.

In this instance a double-track system is employed, such a system beingnecessary since, with chairs of this type, the components travel fartheraway from the wall. Thus, a double track was designed so that all of thesliding means would be under cover of the chair.

Basically, however, the sliding and motivating means are the same asthose shown for use with the unitary seat and back chair of FIGS. 1 l3.

Herein, a platform B supports a chassis C mounting a body-supportingunit D and a leg-supporting unit L.

The means interconnecting platform B, chassis C, body-supporting unit Dand leg-supporting unit L includes a pair of linkage mechanisms, therebeing one at each side of the body-supporting unit inwardly of therespective adjacent side wall of the chassis so as to be concealed fromview. Only one such linkage mechanism is herein defined, they beingidentical for all practical purposes, one being a right hand and onebeing a left hand mechanism.

The mechanism shown is identical to that shown and described in my US.Pat. No. 3,137,521 of June 16, 1964. However, it could be of any' of thetypes as disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,069,201 of Dec. 18, 1962, or No.3,166,353 of Jan. 19, 1965 or No. 3,359,034 of Dec. 19, 1967, to namebut a few, or their kinematic equivalents, for purposes ofexemplification.

Since the mechanism is described in detail in the aforementioned US.Pat. No. 3,137,521, such detailed description will not be repeated here.

As body-supporting unit D is reclined, chassis C moves linearly relativeto platform B away from a wall, not shown, to provide the necessaryclearance for the body-supporting unit relative to the wall as the chairelements move between the upright position of FIG. 14 and the partiallyreclined position of FIG. 15 and/or the fully reclined position of FIG.16.

In the form of the invention seen in FIGS. 14 19, platform B comprisespairs of front and rear legs 410 and 412 respectively disposed at eachside of the chair and interconnected by side rails 414 extending in afront-to-rear chair direction and by transversely extending cross-bars416 interconnecting the side rails in known manner.

Chassis C includes a pair of spaced, upright side walls 426 of anyconventional configuration and disposed at each side of the chair, eachside wall additionally constituting a chair arm.

Body-supporting unit D includes a seat 430 and a back 432, which areseparable, as shown.

As part of the reclining mechanism, a generally horizontally disposedbase plate 434, extending along the front-to-rear chair axis, isstationarily fixed as by a bolt 436 to one of a pair of cross bars 440extending transversely relative to and between chassis side walls 426,the cross bars being fixed at their opposite ends to a plate 442 mountedon each side wall. Screws or bolts 444 attach base plate 434 to plate442.

Leg supporting unit L may be of the one-part type or of the two-parttype, as shown herein. The two-part type is constituted by a large footstool 446 and a small foot stool 448 pivotally interconnected. The legsupporting unit, whichever its type, is mounted, by means of saidlinkage mechanisms, relative to the forward area of seat 430, forconstrained movements between a fully retracted position, as viewed inFIG. 14 and a fully extended position, as viewed in FIGS. 15 and 16.

A rise bar 460 pivoted at 462 to base plate 434 serves as the primarymeans of interconnection between the leg-supporting unit,body-supporting unit and chassis.

A back-link 464 is fixed at one end as by screws 466 to back 432 and ispivoted at its opposite end at 468 to seat 430, to interconnect the seatand back.

A pivot link 470 pivoted at one end at 472 to link 464 is pivoted atitslower end at 474 to base plate 434 to further interconnect thebody-supporting unit and chassis.

A first vertically oriented slotted plate 420 is fixed to each side rail414, extends upwardly therefrom, and is provided with a pair of spaced,generally horizontally extending, aligned, front and rear slots 422 and424 respectively. v

A second vertically oriented slotted plate 480 is disposed inwardly ofand in spaced parallelism to first slotted plate 420 and is providedwith a pair of spaced, generally horizontally extending, aligned frontand rear slots 482 and 484 respectively, which slots are disposed abovethe plane of slots 422 and 424 of first plate 420.

A first set of front and rear rollers 425 and 427 respectively isprovided, with front'roller 425 being rideable in front slot 422, andwith rear roller 427 being rideable in rear slot 424.

The front rollers 425 at each side of the chair are interconnected by across rod 425 and the rear rollers 427 are interconnected by a cross rod427, the cross rods extending through the adjacent second slotted plates480.

A second set of front and rear rollers 486 and 488 respectively extendsoutwardly from plate 442 with front roller 486 being rideable in frontslot 482, and with rear roller 488 being rideable in rear slot 484.

As the body-supporting unit is reclined, the chassis slides relative tothe base in two stages: to the position shown in FIG. 15, wherein thesecond set of rollers 486 and 488 slides to the forward ends of slots482 and 484 of second plate 480; and to the position shown in FIG. 16,wherein the first set of rollers 425 and 427 slides to the forward endsof slots 422 and 424 of first plate 420.

In the first stage of movement, from upright to intermediate positionthe chassis and both plates 420 and 480 remain stationary, with plate442 moving to carry the body-supporting unit forwardly as the rollers486 and 488 ride in their respective slots 482 and 484.

In the second stage of movement from intermediate to fully reclinedposition, the chassis and plate 480 are moved forward relative to thestationary plate 420, with the rollers 425 and 427 riding in theirrespective slots 422 and 424.

Of course, these operations are reversed when the body-supporting unitis returned from fully-reclined position to upright position.

A propeller link 490, pivoted at its upper end at 492 to link 464 and atits lower end at one of the cross bars 416 to the platform propels andcontrols the range of movement of the body-supporting unit relative tothe platform.

The propeller link 490 propels the body-supporting unit and chassisforwardly as reclination occurs, as well as rearwardly on assuming theupright position, with the two sets of rollers riding in the two sets ofslots.

Of course, the modified propeller means of FIGS. 8 13 could be employedin lieu of the single propeller link 490.

Plate 442 is unconstrained Thus, it is possible that the chassis couldmove relative to slots 422 and 424 before plate 442 moves relative toslots 482 and 484.

However, this contingency can be avoided by the simple expedients ofextending a spring, not shown, between plates 420 and 480, or by placinga slight groove or depression, also not shown, at the rear extremity ofgroove 424, whereby a slight restraint is placed on roller 427.

While rollers rideable in slots have been described and shown, it willbe understood that any appropriate slide means may interconnect theseveral chair components.

I claim:

1. A reclining chair adapted to be positioned in close adjacency to andforwardly of a room wall when in the upright sitting position and yet sostructured as to allow ready assumption of a reclined position withoutphysical contact with the same room wall, the reclining chaircomprising:

a base, a chassis supported relative to the base,

a body-supporting unit including a seat and a back having a pivotalrelationship as to each other,

a leg-supporting unit, mounting means for mounting the body-supportingunit relative to the chassis in movements between upright and recliningpositions,

means for mounting the chassis relative to the base in linear movementsrelative to the base as the body-supporting unit is concomitantly moved,

means for mounting the leg-supporting unit relative to thebody-supporting unit in movements between retracted and extendedpositions as the bodysupporting unit is concomitantly moved,

control means for controlling the pivotal motion of the back relative tothe seat as the body-supporting unit is concomitantly moved,

and means operatively connecting the bodysupporting unit and base formoving the chassis forwardly and progressively away from the wall andthe body-supporting unit relative to the wall as transition is made fromupright sitting position toward a position of reclination and for movingthe chassis rearwardly and progressively toward the wall and thebody-supporting unit relative to the wall as transition is made from aposition of reclination toward upright sitting position.

2. An occupant-operated living room type reclining chair positionableanywhere on a floor of a room free of attachment to the floor and inclose adjacency to and forwardly of an object when in upright sittingposition and yet so constructed as to allow ready assumption of anyreclined position free of physical contact with the same object andcomprising:

a base resting on the floor, free of permanent attachment to the floor,a chassis supported relative to the base,

a body-supporting subassembly including a seat and back having a pivotalrelationship as to each other,

a leg-supporting subassembly,

control means for controlling the pivotal movements of the back relativeto the seat, and

linkage mechanism operatively interconnecting the body-supportingsubassembly and leg-supporting subassembly and chassis and base for,first, concurrently moving:

a. the body-supporting subassembly rearwardly relative to the chassis,

b. the leg-supporting subassembly between retracted and extendedpositions, and

c. the chassis relative to the base and progressively forwardly awayfrom the object,

a transition is made from upright sitting position to a position ofreclination by the occupant leaning backwardly against the back and theexerting of a forwardly pushing force against the chassis, and for,second, concurrently moving:

a. the body-supporting subassembly forwardly relative to the chassis,

b. the leg-supporting subassembly between extended and retractedpositions, and

c. the chassis relative to the base and progressively rearwardly towardthe object,

as transition is made from a position of reclination to upright sittingposition by the occupant leaning forwardly away from the back and theexerting of a downwardly pushing force against the leg-support, with anylinear movement of the body-supporting subassembly relative to the basebeing in substantially inverse ratio to any linear movement of thechassis relative to the base.

3. A reclining chair movable by the occupant between upright sitting andintermediate-television and fully reclined positions and positionableanywhere on a floor of a room and free of attachment to the floor and inclose adjacency to a wall when in upright sitting position and yet sostructured as to allow ready assumption of intermediate-television andfully reclined positions free of contact with the wall comprising: abase, a chassis a body-supporting subassembly including a seat and backhaving a pivotal relationship as to each other, a leg-supportingsubassembly, control means for controlling the pivotal movements of theseat relative to the back of the body-supporting subassembly, linkagemechanism for effecting movement of the bodysupporting subassemblybetween upright and intermediate and reclined positions concomitant withmovement of the leg-supporting subassembly between retracted andextended positions respectively and for effecting movement of both thechassis and bodysupporting subassembly relative to the base in onedirection responsively to and simultaneously with movement of thebody-supporting subassembly relative to the chassis in counterdirection.

4. A reclining chair adapted to be movable on a floor of a room and intoclose adjacency to and forwardly of an object when in upright sittingposition and yet so structured as to allow ready assumption of areclining position free of physical contact with the same object, thereclining chair comprising: a base, a chassis supported relative to thebase, a body-supporting unit including a seat and back and leg-supporthaving pivotal relationships as to each other, control means forcontrolling the pivotal movements of the seat relative to the back ofthe body-supporting unit, and linkage mechanism operativelyinterconnecting the bodysupporting .unit and chassis and base andleg-support for concurrently moving the chassis relative to the base andforwardly and progressively away from the object and the body-supportingunit rearwardly relative to the chassis and the leg-support of thebody-supporting unit from retracted to an extended position astransition is made from upright sitting to reclination positions and forconcurrently moving the chassis relative to the base rearwardly andprogressively toward the object and the body-supporting unit forwardlyrelative to the chassis and the leg-support of the body-supporting unitfrom an extended to retracted position as transition is made fromreclination to upright sitting positions.

5. A reclining chair adapted to be positioned on a floor moreparticularly in close adjacency to and forwardly of an object when inupright sitting position and yet so structured as to allow readyassumption of a re clining position without physical contact with thesame object, the reclining chair comprising:

a base, a chassis supported relative to the base,

a seat and a back having a pivotal relationship as to each other, aleg-supporting unit, roller means disposed between and fixed to one ofthe chassis and base,

control means for controlling the pivotal movements of the seat relativeto the back, and linkage mechanism operatively interconnecting the seatand back and leg-supporting unit and chassis and base for concurrentlypropelling the chassis relative to the base and forwardly andprogressively away from the object and the seat rearwardly relative tothe chassis and the leg-supporting unit from retracted to an extendedposition as transition is made from upright sitting position to aposition of reclination responsively to an impelling force generated bythe occupant upon the chassis in one direction with a resultant reactionof the seat relative to the chassis in a counter direction.

1. A reclining chair adapted to be positioned in close adjacency to andforwardly of a room wall when in the upright sitting position and yet sostructured as to allow ready assumption of a reclined position withoutphysical contact with the same room wall, the reclining chaircomprising: a base, a chassis supported relative to the base, abody-supporting unit including a seat and a back having a pivotalrelationship as to each other, a leg-supporting unit, mounting means formounting the bodysupporting unit relative to the chassis in movementsbetween upright and reclining positions, means for mounting the chassisrelative to the base in linear movements relative to the base as thebody-supporting unit is concomitantly moved, means for mounting theleg-supporting unit relative to the bodysupporting unit in movementsbetween retracted and extended positions as the body-supporting unit isconcomitantly moved, control means for controlling the pivotal motion ofthe back relative to the seat as the body-supporting unit isconcomitantly moved, and means operatively connecting thebody-supporting unit and base for moving the chassis forwardly andprogressively away from the wall and the body-supporting unit relativeto the wall as transition is made from upright sitting position toward aposition of reclination and for moving the chassis rearwardly andprogressively toward the wall and the body-supporting unit relative tothe wall as transition is made from a position of reclination towardupright sitting position.
 2. An occupant-operated living room typereclining chair positionable anywhere on a floor of a room free ofattachment to the floor and in close adjacency to and forwardly of anobject when in upright sitting position and yet so constructed as toallow ready assumption of any reclined position free of physical contactwith the same object and comprising: a base resting on the floor, freeof permanent attachment to the floor, a chassis supported relative tothe base, a body-supporting subassembly including a seat and back havinga pivotal relationship as to each other, a leg-supporting subassembly,control means for controlling the pivotal movements of the back relativeto the seat, and linkage mechanism operatively interconnecting thebody-supporting subassembly and leg-supporting subassembly and chassisand base for, first, concurrently moving: a. the body-supportingsubassembly rearwardly relative to the chassis, b. the leg-supportingsubassembly between retracted and extended positions, and c. the chassisrelative to the base and progressively forwardly away from the object, atransition is made from upright sitting position to a position ofreclination by the occupant leaning backwardly against the back and theexerting of a forwardly pushing force against the chassis, and for,second, concurrently moving: a. the body-supporting subassemblyforwardly relative to the chassis, b. the leg-supporting subassemblybetween extended and retracted positions, and c. the chassis relative tothe base and progressively rearwardly toward the object, as transitionis made from a position of reclination to upright sitting position bythe occupant leaning forwardly away from the back and the exerting of adownwardly pushing force against the leg-support, with any linearmovement of the body-supporting subassembly relative to the base beingin substantially inverse ratio to any linear movement of the chassisrelative to the base.
 3. A reclining chair movable by the occupantbetween upright sitting and intermediate-television and fully reclinedpositions and positionable anywhere on a floor of a room and free ofattachment to the floor and in close adjacency to a wall when in uprightsitting position and yet so structured as to allow ready assumption ofintermediate-television and fully reclined positions free of contactwith the wall comprising: a base, a chassis a body-supportingsubassembly including a seat and back having a pivotal relationship asto each other, a leg-supporting subassembly, control means forcontrolling the pivotal movements of the seat relative to the back ofthe body-supporting subassembly, linkage mechanism for effectingmovement of the body-supporting subassembly between upright andintermediate and reclined positions concomitant with movement of theleg-supporting subassembly between retracted and extended positionsrespectively and for effecting movement of both the chassis andbody-supporting subassembly relative to the base in one directionresponsively to and simultaneously with movement of the body-supportingsubassembly relative to the chassis in counter direction.
 4. A recliningchair adapted to be movable on a floor of a room and into closeadjacency to and forwardly of an object when in upright sitting positionand yet so structured as to allow ready assumption of a recliningposition free of physical contact with the same object, the recliningchair comprising: a base, a chassis supported relative to the base, abody-supporting unit including a seat and back and leg-support havingpivotal relationships as to each other, control means for controllingthe pivotal movements of the seat relative to the back of thebody-supporting unit, and linkage mechanism operatively interconnectingthe body-supporting unit and chassis and base and leg-support forconcurrently moving the chassis relative to the base and forwardly andprogressively away from the object and the body-supporting unitrearwardly relative to the chassis and the leg-support of thebody-supporting unit from retracted to an extended position astransition is made from upright sitting to reclination positions and forconcurrently moving the chassis relative to the base rearwardly andprogressively toward the object and the body-supporting unit forwardlyrelative to the chassis and the leg-support of the body-supporting unitfrom an extended to retracted position as transition is made fromreclination to upright sitting positions.
 5. A reclining chair adaptedto be positioned on a floor more particularly in close adjacency to andforwardly of an object when in upright sitting position and yet sostructured as to allow ready assumption of a reclining position withoutphysical contact with the same object, the reclining chair comprising: abase, a chassis supported relative to the base, a seat and a back havinga pivotal relationship as to each other, a leg-supporting unit, rollermeans disposed between and fixed to one of the chassis and base, controlmeans for controlling the pivotal movements of the seat relative to theback, and linkage mechanism operatively interconnecting the seat andback and leg-supporting unit and chassis and base for concurrentlypropelling the chassis relative to the base and forwardly andprogressively away from the object and the seat rearwardly relative tothe chassis and the leg-supporting unit from retracted to an extendedposition as transition is made from upright sitting position to aposition of reclination responsively to an impelling force generated bythe occupant upon the chassis in one direction with a resultant reactionof the seat relative to the chassis in a counter direction.